Senior Facility at Ina Levine Considered

Building a senior retirement facility on the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale is currently being explored.

A call for proposals for the undeveloped 3-acre site on the southeast corner of the campus was announced on June 19.

A committee made up of real estate and business professionals evaluated different options for that parcel and determined that a senior residential facility would be the most beneficial, as it provides an opportunity for seniors to age in place, while adding a multigenerational component to the campus, according to the announcement.

The Request for Proposals from qualified developers is an early step in the process, according to Morrie Aaron, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix treasurer and chair of the Campus Development Committee.

The committee, authorized by Federation’s board of directors, is taking this first step toward deciding if a senior living facility is feasible on the campus. After the proposals from developers are received, the committee will evaluate and recommend to Federation board whether it should officially move forward with a senior residential facility.

Proposals will be accepted through early August and the evaluation is expected to last approximately six to nine months. Land Advisors Organization in Scottsdale will assist with the RFP process.

The campus, located at 12701 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale, is a Federation project and includes approximately 30 acres of land. The main facility houses Federation and other Jewish communal organizations such as the Bureau of Jewish Education, Gesher Disability Resources, the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, the Jewish Tuition Organization and the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix. Pardes Jewish Day School is located on the east end of the campus.

If the campus moves forward with building a senior living facility, the land would be leased long-term to the developer and would be owned and operated by a third party, not Federation, Aaron said.